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“Baby Driver”

By Matt Petras, Co-Features Editor

A lot of “Baby Driver” spoke to me, including the impeccable, suave performance from Ansel Elgort, the fast-paced, exhilarating action and the jamming soundtrack, but I think what resonated with me the most was the romance.

The film, from “Scott Pilgrim” and “Shaun of the Dead” director Edgar Wright, follows Baby, a young man with an obsessive love of music and incredible skills behind the wheel. Forced by a comic book-like league of criminals to be the driver for various heists, Baby constantly suffers with self-loathing. This is why whenever Baby meets Debora, a beautiful woman infatuated with tunes just like he is, he feels a lot of happiness but also a lot of dread. How could Baby possibly deserve someone that makes him as happy as Debora does?

For me, struggling with clinical anxiety and depression issues means constantly feeling like I’m not deserving of happiness. Seeing Baby get the girl and, most importantly, learn to be okay with himself, was by far the most satisfying moment I’ve had in a movie theater this year.

“Blade Runner 2049”

By Mick Stinelli, Co-A&E Editor

“Blade Runner 2049” is a film that I was sure was destined to fail. I was happily proven wrong. Despite being filmed decades after its predecessor, it felt like an effortless return to a retro-futuristic Los Angeles filled with flying cars, killer robots and hyper-commercialism.

The movie was a win on all fronts for me: writing, performances, special effects, sound design, editing. Every part of the film felt like it was meticulously thought over and filled with love.

There is a scene in Blade Runner 2049 that was featured in a lot of its advertising. It shows “K” (played brilliantly by Ryan Gosling) staring at a towering holographic woman. The shot is visually stunning. In the context of the film, however, it is one of the most simply heartbreaking moments of any movie this year. Gosling’s muted performance, a contrast from 2016’s “La La Land,” has solidified him as one of Hollywood’s most versatile leading men around.

With “Blade Runner 2049,” director Denis Villeneuve crafted a sequel that honored the legacy of a cult classic, while also providing some of the most exciting and emotional storytelling of the past several years.

“Get Out”

By Lauren Ortego, Co-Copy Desk Chief

“Get Out” was released in late February, and despite coming out so early in the year, it was easily one of the most influential films of 2017. I saw it twice; both with friends and in theaters filled to the brim with people. And that’s saying something considering the price of movies and my lack of funds.

The film came at a pivotal time in America — Donald Trump had just been inaugurated, and inequality was increasingly becoming a topic shared between friends and random colleagues alike. “Get Out” was fresh, unsettling and just the right amount of hilarious when it needed to be, all while tackling the uncomfortable racist undertones that come with interracial dating. The audience was engaged.

But what compelled me most of all was that for the first time in my life, I liked hearing my fellow moviegoers talk throughout the showing. Writer and director Jordan Peele said this movie was for theaters; it was for group watching. He was absolutely right, and it was well worth the $18.75.

“Annabelle: Creation”

By Nicholas Horwat, Co-A&E Editor

I am already not a fan of horror movies, so when I see them I do nothing but nitpick and find the plot holes. When “It” was sold out, I went in to see “Annabelle: Creation.” I also really had no idea what it was. I was told afterword that it is a prequel to another movie called “Annabelle.”

Overall, from an outsider’s perspective of horror movies, “Annabelle: Creation” was an exceptional film that holds as a great piece of the Conjuring franchise.

“The Big Sick”

By Beth Turnbull, Co-Opinions Editor

Kumail Nanjiani may not be a household name yet, but his debut film “The Big Sick” has firmly pushed him in that direction. The witty and touching comedy, which came out this past June, stars Nanjiani as himself, in the story of how he met his wife Emily Gordon, who is played by the stunningly quirky Zoe Kazan.

The story centers on two young people falling in love, but as it is so often in movies, and reality, it is much more complicated. Nanjiani is a Pakistani immigrant with a very traditional family, and Gordon is white. Drama and a sudden illness ensue. Nanjiani has to navigate his life as an amateur stand-up comedian, the complexity of sick loved one, and the cultural pressures of his family.

The film, while dramatic, is at its heart, a comedy. Featuring Ray Romano and Holly Hunter as Gordon’s parents, the film is bursting with wit and the vigor of living life well. The film is a beautiful testament to love, it’s complicated, sometimes awkward, but always a good idea.